as in criminal
not restrained by or under the control of legal authority
some sociologists specialize in studying the lawbreaking elements of society
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in crime
a breaking of a moral or legal code
even something as simple as littering is considered an example of lawbreaking
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in criminality
activities that are in violation of the laws of the state
an outbreak of lawbreaking plagued the city in the months following the end of the war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lawbreaking
Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
Chaffin said that even in June, while protests in Los Angeles had drawn thousands of people and were violent, those in Portland were smaller and any lawbreaking was managed by local police.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lawbreaking
Adjective
-
Since attacks like SessionReaper can expose your personal data to criminal marketplaces, consider using a reputable data removal service that continuously scans and deletes your private information, such as your address, phone number and email, from data broker sites.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
-
In a case involving 19 criminal counts, Farzam was convicted of five misdemeanors in 2003.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The crimes with which she has been charged are trumped up and her arrest is a cynical ploy by the junta headed by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to cling onto power.—
Kim Aris,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Rafael is a crime and breaking news reporter at the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
But the question, as Stephanopoulos kept insisting, was not about whether this rose to the level of criminality.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Be the literal poster children for adolescent criminality?—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Louisville police say anything that goes into the air or explodes is illegal for average citizens.—
James Bruggers,
The Courier-Journal,
5 July 2017
-
Official fireworks shows took place over the city, and illegal pyrotechnics lit up the sky everywhere in between.—
Lisa Beebe,
Los Angeles Magazine,
5 July 2017
Noun
-
Among those scheduled to testify at the hearing for the government were an Oklahoma couple who were storing some of Goudreau's belongings, including two assault rifles an associate recently tried to retrieve in possible violation of a court order against possessing firearms while on bond.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 Nov. 2025
-
The denial letter said Farzam was convicted of making a false statement to the DMV and a registration violation.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
As for the Banks sisters, Ashley (Akira Akbar) works through a rebellious phase during her freshman year as Hilary (Coco Jones) goes on a journey of self-exploration.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
3 Nov. 2025
-
To be clear, there is no sense that Rondón and Ugás are defending the old guard or suggesting that a docile, starving population pinioned under the grip of a dictatorship is big-picture preferable to a rebellious insurgency.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The tragic death of the Sepulveda family patriarch calls his descendants back to Villa Sepulveda, a Spanish colonial manor in a coconut plantation; but a landslide traps the guests inside, transforming the funeral plans into a supernatural reckoning of sins.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Once, there were two sweet kids who came of age in the evangelical purity culture of the 1990’s, a world in which being LGBTQ+ or accepting anyone who was gay was seen as a sin that could send you straight to hell.—
Kelly Foster Lundquist,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
There have been several serious incidents involving the illicit trade in nuclear materials in Georgia over recent decades.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Both developments could hand fresh ammunition to the Democrats who Republicans need to advance the bill — Democrats who had already raised concerns in closed-door meetings Wednesday over illicit finance and conflicts of interest.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lawbreaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lawbreaking. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share